Released a little over a year after
the grand success of his Oscar-winning
feature 'Mystic River', Clint Eastwood
returns to the director's chair for
'Million Dollar Baby'. Eastwood also
stars in the role of Frankie Dunn, a
down-on-his-luck former boxing manager
who spends the twilight years of his
life running a small, dilapidated gym in
downtown Los Angeles.
Frankie's previous career was blighted
by an injury to one of his prize
fighters, Scrap (Morgan Freeman), who
lost the sight in his right eye during a
particularly brutal bout; Scrap now
wiles away the hours working as a
cleaner in Frankie's gym. Wary of
similar occurrences being inflicted on
the prestigious young talent that passes
before him, Frankie lets a succession of
great boxers slip through his fingers.
But when the brash, confident young
boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank)
strides into the gym, Frankie's life is
irretrievably altered.
Initially refusing to train Maggie due
to her gender and age, Frankie relents
when faced with her tenacity, spirit,
and burning ambition. The combination of
Maggie's talent and Frankie's tutelage
paves the way for the adroit fighter to
rise steadily through the ranks of
women's boxing, with the unlikely
coupling forming a genuinely touching
bond in the process.
Clint Eastwood has crafted a boxing film
fit to stand alongside classics such as
'Raging Bull' and 'Rocky'. The scenes
between Eastwood and Freeman are a
delight to watch, with the two old hands
pulling off masterfully understated
performances as a couple of men
teetering on the brink of failure.
Likewise, Swank puts in a powerful turn
as Maggie, further emphasising her
penchant for unusual roles, and perhaps
even bettering her incredible,
Oscar-winning showing as Teena Brandon
in 'Boys Don't Cry'.
'Million Dollar Baby' scooped a total of
4 Oscars at the 2005 Academy Award
ceremony: Best Picture, Best Director,
Best Actress (Hilary Swank) and Best
Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman).
) 
GOWINGSTORE
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